Our Programs
DC WritersCorps serves middle/junior and high school students in the District of Columbia public schools. In our middle school program our goal is to use writing mentors and innovative approaches to teaching creative writing as a way of maintaining student's interest and commitment to education. DC WritersCorps sends accomplished and well-trained writers into 10 DCPS middle/junior high schools to run in-school and after-school creative writing workshops. From these workshops, students participate in local poetry readings and competitions, create their own anthologies and participate in cultural enrichment activities connected to the literary arts.
Writers In Residence In-School Writing Workshops: DC WritersCorps instructors conduct in-school writing workshops at 10 middle/junior high schools in the DCPS system. Our accomplished writers take over an English class one or two days per week during the school year and work in conjunction with the classroom teachers to provide intensive creative writing workshops. Students in the DC WritersCorps workshops and clubs must read broadly, write and edit their writings.After-School Writing Clubs: In addition to the writing workshops offered during school hours, DC WritersCorps offers student participation in the after-school teen writing clubs, which operate at each school. These clubs offer all students in the school and surrounding community an opportunity to participate in creative writing workshops. Taught by accomplished DC area writers, the after-school writing clubs serve 200 young people and run once per week from 3:15 PM to 5:00 PM. Students receive rigorous creative writing training and are expected to write, edit, publish and read their writings. The only requirement of the after-school-writing club is that students read, complete writing assignments and respect the efforts of other youth and instructors.
The Youth Poetry Slam League (YPSL): YPSL allows students in the workshops to represent their schools in a local poetry competition. Readings are held at the participating schools and other venues, and The YPSL Championship is held annually at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in May. These performances are free and open to the general public. Students also perform for youth and civic organizations.
2kNation Radio Project: 2kNation is an innovative radio/journalism project that allows teens from DC schools to get hands-on experience in radio production. The goal of 2kNation is to provide a media outlet for the progressive voices of teens.
2kNation is fully run from engineering to on-air hosting by high school age teens. The show began in May of 2002 and continues with live programming every Sunday night from 7-8 PM on WPFW 89.3 FM. 2kNation is the country's only live, primetime youth-run public affairs show. Past show topics have included, teen pregnancy prevention, the draft, handgun violence, history of go-go and rap music, post 911 discrimination against foreign teens, and HIV prevention. Our students have interviewed such guests as Tony Brown host of Tony Brown's Journal, the nation's longest running African American public affairs show; Reg Weaver, President of the National Education Association; Kevin Powell, author and hip hop journalist; and Dr. Gloria Braithwaite, award winning-physician.
Members of 2kNation have gone on to major in mass communication, journalism, and TV/radio production at colleges such as Temple, Lincoln, Winston-Salem, Penn State, Florida A&M, Xavier, George Mason, North Carolina A&T and Hampton University. 2kNation members who attend college often return to train and mentor our current staff. DC WritersCorps has received grants from the Community Foundation's Urban Uplifters Program and Time Warner to conduct training and development for youth staffers.
Youth Apprentice Program: (YAP) Sponsored by a grant from Serve DC, YAP provides an opportunity for high school age writers to serve their community and to gain valuable skills by assisting an accomplished, adult DC WritersCorps instructor at one of our middle/junior high school sites. Our YAP members also represent DCWritersCorps at local and national panels, conferences, performances, and workshops. In 2005 YAP members have taught writing workshops a middle schools throughout the region, participated the University of Maryland's Casey School of Journalism Conference, traveled to San Francisco for the Brave New Voices Festival, read at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Museum.
DC WritersCorps
Josephine Butler Parks Center 2437 15th Street, NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-332-2848
Fax: 202-332-5455
